Lansing Model Railroad Club
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LMRC Expands!

After many years of planning and fund raising, the Lansing Model Railroad Club broke ground on the phase 1 addition to it's building. This will add almost 600 square feet of additional space to the club. Upstairs will be additional layout space and a bathroom. The basement area will be our new meeting room, while the old meeting room will be repurposed.

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Digging begins - the first scoops of dirt start to move. The hole gets bigger. The back wall of the foundation that hasn't seen the light of day in almost 50 years is exposed. A workman does the last few inches by hand. Checking the depth - Construction crew checks the depth as the hole starts to take it's final shape. While you're at it ... We have these stumps that are right where the shed is going to go. Big power tools make quick work of those pesky stumps. Meanwhile, the footings are being formed up. The concrete truck arrives. We were worried that it might not fit through our gate, but it did - barely. And soon pouring of the footings is underway. We have footings! And while all of that is going on, LMRC members prepare the forms for the slab that the storage shed will sit on. This will be a huge improvement over the patch of gravel it used to sit on. A few days later the forms for the walls arrive. Having the right power equipment for the job sure makes it easier. The forms go up. Time out! Our intrepid crew takes time out to hoof it over to the tracks half a block away to catch SP 4449 on it's way home from Train Festival 2009. It is a good omen that the first steam locomotive to traverse these tracks in 50 years conicides with the biggest project LMRC has undertaken in a similar timeframe. Pouring the walls, two trucks worth! We have walls! A few days later after the forms have been removed and waterproofing applied. Slinging gravel. The company is called Michigan Stone Slingers and they literally fling the pea gravel from this conveyer thing on the truck anywhere they want it. When they're done, all that needed is just a bit of surface smoothing. The foundation is completed! Next step - pour the floors. Then wait a couple of weeks for everything to cure and then it's time to start framing. A steel beam, thick enough so that no intermediate supports are required, has been delivered and is being set. The crane didn't quite have enough reach, so a little improvised intermediate support was necessary to get it across. The beam is in it's final resting place, ready to support trains and train geeks. And as long as we have the crane, we might as well put it to good use and move the shed on to the pad. One thing done - the shed is on it's pad, ready for use again. Landscaping - some of the dirt has been spread around More landscaping - finshing up pushing all of the excess dirt around. We have lumber - the wood arrives, now the fun begins. Turns out that wood is much cheaper than concrete. Setting the floor joists. More setting. Literally. The new basement view of the joists being activly supported by the beam. Putting down the sub-floor Another view of the same. Our first wall! The east wall it up and is being nailed down. An air nailer make the work go much faster. Setting the south wall into place. By the end of the day, all of the exterior walls were up, as well as the major interior walls. Dry run. LMRC member Terry Friar test drives the “reading throne”. At this stage of the game the projected costs of getting a water and sewer line from the street to the building were escalating from high to ludicrous to insane and there was concern that it might remain dry for the forseeable future. New Walls. The south wall is up and partially sheathed and the west wall is under construction. Old Walls. As we cut into the existing siding of the building, we discovered what looks like the original siding in what might be it's original color. Getting there - another couple of panels and we'll have it boxed in (except where the door goes on the other side). Closure! The exterior walls are up and sheathed! The interior walls that form the bathroom, which is big enough to fit a couple of decent sized N scale layouts into, starts to take shape. Men at work. Bob Herbst and Dave Venske cut lumber to size to feed the wall building crew. Lawnwork - LMRC members smooth things out and spread grass seed. We hope something will start growing before we get a lot of rain and have washouts. Meanwhile, inside the closets and entry way walls are in place. The next layer begins. The first two roof trusses comprising the over hang on the back go up. Same thing from the other side from yet another angle. More roof trusses going into place. All of the roof trusses are up and we're tied into the old roof. There's even one board of OSB on the back side! We like taking lots of pics of all sides. Our wizzard woodworkers fabricate and install filler pannels to tie the new and old together. Meanwhile the foam board is also going on. We just can't seem to get away from having one part of the building only accessible with scaffolding and tall ladders. LMRC members spread straw Flashing installed around the connector. We have a door! Roofing. The window is in and siding is going on Finishing touches Done! (Outside, anyway) Interior - the light cans are up Wiring to the lights is in Opening up the old exterior wall of the depot Exposed, a colorfull collection of insulation. At least we have insulation. President Mike Frezell burns scraps Some finishing touches to the floor The sewer and water runs start. Naturally, the sewer hook up would be right under our driveway. The water line follows the sewer pipe. Drilling the hole to get the drain into the building. The line is in! The trench is filled in and the property no longer looks like a war zone The “Boardwalk” goes in Lights upstairs Lights downstairs

Last update: 156January 2010